


Nothin' Special

by Marlex7



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Comment Fic, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 09:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4299540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marlex7/pseuds/Marlex7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three times someone told Bucky Barnes, "I'm nothin' special." He never believed it, even if they did. Set before, during and after the movies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothin' Special

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Comment Fic community on LiveJournal. The prompt was: Author’s choice, author’s choice, “I’m nothin’ special,” [pronoun] says and doesn’t know it’s a lie.

**1.**

"Hey!" Bucky yelled at the brute swinging away at the much smaller man sprawled on the ground. "Get off him!"

The man turned, contempt etched on his face. "Mind your own damn--"

There apparently was more he wanted to say, but stopped abruptly when Bucky's fist connected with his jaw, sending him toppling backward.

Bucky bent to help Steve off the ground. "Do I even want to know what it was this time?"

"He was talking disrespectfully to a lady," Steve said, wiping a trickle of blood from his chin.

"For somebody who can't talk to dames..." He didn’t finish his sentence, and instead just shook his head. "You are a special kind of guy, you know that? Come on, let's go grab a beer before you start feeling those punches."

"I'm nothin' special," Steve said as the walked away from the other man, still out cold on the sidewalk.

The brutal honesty in Steve's voice caused Bucky to miss a step, but he didn’t respond and instead vowed to himself to get his friend drunk enough that maybe he might at least say hello to a girl.

**2.**

They could hear the explosions in the distance, but for the moment, there were other men taking up the fight.

Sgt. James Barnes looked at the rest of the Commandos, sitting in a circle of chairs, passing around a quickly emptying bottle of liquor. Whoever had lived in this house was long gone by the time they set up their temporary command center in the kitchen, but whoever they were, they had left behind a small stash of booze.

Col. Phillips wasn’t due in until the morning to go over their next target, so for now, they had a rare moment of respite and relaxation, the distant booms notwithstanding.

At the moment, the others were swapping their favorite "Captain America" stories, even though they knew them all, not to mention the fact that most had been there for the actual events. It was as a good way to pass the time as any, considering they lost their only pack of playing cards when Dum Dum's pack got a couple of bullet holes in it, allowing the cards to fall out along some godforsaken French roadside or another.

Barnes turned his attention to his friend Steve, who was outside the circle of men, listening but not participating. He saw the frown on his face, which wasn’t terribly unusual, but at the moment, couldn’t figure out what was bothering him. 

Gabe starting telling a particular enjoyable story and when Barnes looked again, Steve was gone. Quietly, he took his leave and looked for his friend. It wasn’t a long search. Steve was leaning against the railing of the half-collapsed porch, looking out into the growing darkness across the overgrown field.

“No stories to add the collection?” Barnes asked jovially.

“I wish they wouldn’t do that,” Steve said, not turning around.

“They’re just blowing off some steam. They don’t mean any insult.”

“I know that. But listening to them makes it sound like I’m somebody 10 feet tall. Sure, I’m faster and stronger than most, but that’s the serum. Not me. I take the right bullet and I’m just as dead as the next guy. And this mission needs to outlive me if it has to. I’m nothin’ special.”

“You really believe that, don’t you?” Barnes asked, shaking his head. He didn’t wait for an answer, instead returning inside just in time to hear the end of Gabe’s story.

“I’ve got one,” he said once the laughter calmed down.

**3.**

The mission had been an ugly one, with a lot of civilian casualties. Nearly all of them occurred prior to the Avengers arriving on the scene, but try telling that to Steve, who wore his patented Captain America scowl all the way back to base.

The man formerly known as the Winter Soldier, now once again James, had sure tried his best to talk some sense into his friend, but to no avail. As soon as the quinjet landed, Steve stomped down the gangplank and was gone, leaving Sam to dismiss the rest and remind them to finish their after-action reports by the next morning.

James didn’t see Steve again until it was nearly dinner, when, upon walking into the common kitchen area, he heard two voices in a somewhat heated discussion. He stopped on the threshold of the oversized room and simply listened.

“You can’t save everybody, Steve,” Darcy was saying. “It fucking sucks, but I know you’ve been doing this long enough to know that sometimes it happens. It doesn’t mean you don’t have to care. Just don’t let it all rest on you alone. That’s what happened to Stark, and you know where that led. I don’t have to worry about you building a giant doombot army like he did, but it doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you. It isn’t healthy to let it eat at you like this.

“Besides, you guys are a team. You work together. Don’t you think they hate it too? Seeing you stomp off in a huff can’t be helping their morale anymore than you moping around the gym is helping you.”

Instead of a reply, James heard a deep sigh, then, “You’re right.”

“Damn straight, I am,” Darcy said.

James couldn’t contain his laugh, and knowing the game was up, he walked the rest of the way into the room.

“It would save a lot of time if you just didn’t argue with the dame,” he said smiling.

Darcy was sitting in a comfy-looking chair, the swell of belly seemingly having grown in just the four days they had been overseas. At eight months along, it was too be expected, but James still had a hard time believing in four to six weeks he was going to be an uncle.

He turned his attention to Steve, and his smile faltered. His friend was still in his uniform and looked all the more worse for wear because of it. But then he saw the sheepish grin.

“It’s not fair to team up on me,” Steve said.

“Hell yeah, it is, especially when you decide to beat yourself up over things you can’t control,” Darcy interjected. “Now, I want you to go back to our apartment and get a shower. The pizzas should be here soon and don’t want to eat next to someone who smells like a wet ferret.”

James whistled. “Ouch, doll. That’s kind of harsh.” He then leaned over and pantomimed sniffing his friend. “On the other hand...”

Steve threw his hands up in mock exasperation. “Fine, I’m going.”

“Be sure to put on some jeans, preferably tight ones. Just because I’m turning into a whale here doesn’t mean I can’t stare at my man’s ass. Because it is a mighty fine ass and I might want a closer look later tonight.”

“Yes, ma’m,” he said, giving her a salute.

Once Steve was gone, James turned to Darcy. “You are amazing with him. I’m not sure he would have made it through everything he’s had thrown at him without you. And that goes for pretty much everyone else on the team. The Avengers may watch over the world, but you watch over us.”

“Psh,” she said with a dismissive wave that betrayed an underlying insecurity that he knew she didn’t know he was aware of. “I’m nothin’ special.”

“And that’s why you two are perfect for each other,” James said.


End file.
